Gifting retailer gets “Moms” comfortable with emerging technology

Getting a handle on innovative technologies can be overwhelming — especially for parents of Generation X’ers and millennials.



To keep its associates’ moms in the know, 1-800 Flowers is hosting an educational, hands-on experience showcasing how the company fosters a culture of innovation and leverages emerging technologies.



The half-day conference, called "Tech Your Mom,”will be held at the retailer's headquarters in Carle Place, New York. Company executives will leada variety of workshops, including a floral design class and web marketing session. The conference will also provide an introduction to conversational commerce.



At the core of the session is the organization's most recent technology initiatives, including its cognitive gift concierge, a bot called GWYN. The bot uses IBM Watson to interact with customers using natural language to interpret their responses, and then engage and ask questions.



"With Mother's Day just around the corner, ‘Tech Your Mom’ provided an opportunity to invite our employees' moms behind the scenes to obtain a deeper understanding of the company's mission to deliver smiles leveraging technology innovation," said Maureen Paradine, senior VP of human resources, 1-800-Flowers.com.